Kanees History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland

Etymology of Kanees

Kanees is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived near a dock, and may have been employed there having derived from the Old French word kay, which became kaye, keye, and keay in Old English. These were all words for docks, or quays. The original bearers of the name undoubtedly lived near some docks, and could easily have been workers there. There is also the possibility that the name is derived from the Latin personal name Caius, a name that dates from the Roman occupation of Britain. There is a record of a Britius filius Kay in 1199, in Northants; filius means "son of." There is a third possibility; in the north of England ka was a word for jackdaw (derived from the Old Scandinavian), and was often applied as a nickname; some nicknames became surnames and this could be one of them. However, the majority of examples of this name found in England are of the local type. This makes this name a polygenetic name, which means that it arose spontaneously at different times and places and meant different things.

Early Origins of the Kanees family

Early History of the Kanees family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kanees research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1890 is included under the topic Early Kanees History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kanees Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Kanees family name include Keyes, Key, Keys, Keye, Keyse and others.

Early Notables of the Kanees family

More information is included under the topic Early Kanees Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kanees family to Ireland

Some of the Kanees family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kanees family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Kanees surname or a spelling variation of the name include: John Key settled in Barbados in 1634; Adam Key settled in Virginia in 1639; Peter Key settled in Virginia in 1653; Thomas and Sarah Key settled in Virginia in 1649.